The Life and Death of Jacque Harkness: Series 1
by Yaya Sour
Summary: In an alternate universe, Jack had a kid named Jacque. This is their story. Imarriedmyfandoms posted a request for a fic about them and a character of my choice. I was the only one of their followers to respond. It has become an ongoing series. I hope you enjoy it as much as Imarriedmyfandoms did and as much as I loved writing it. Also? Welcome to Torchwood. M
1. Pilot: Episode 1

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 1.

Jacque presses the button on the Vortex Manipulator left by dad and the ground slowly begins to sink. Jack Harkness was off trying to find The Doctor again, so of course he leaves his next of kin the responsibility of keeping his team in order. It's not too bad, though: it means missing a week or so of classes in favor of...

The Hub's pet pterodactyl flies past Jacque's head, interrupting the train of thought. Suddenly the Cardiff street is replaces with stone walls and the scent of steel and coffee, the latter a signal that Ianto is waiting at the bottom of the lift. Sure enough, one look down and there he is, like always when Jack leaves you in charge: in the suit he knows you particularly like with a smile the others note is just a bit brighter than normal.

"Welcome back," he says simply, "How long do we have the pleasure of your company this time?"

"You know my dad," Jacque says with a grin, "There's no telling with him."

He chuckles and holds out your tea, made perfectly, before nodding to one of the computers. "Here," he says, "Let me catch you up."

Gwen and Tosh both say hello as you pass by, Owen shouting from the medical area as he works on another body. "Hey uncle!" you call back. You're not that far apart, age wise, but you always joke that you must be his and your father's secret love child. So uncle it is.

"Here we are," Ianto says, pulling out the chair. You just roll your eyes. His heart is in the right place and you guess it's okay since he did it for your dad, once.

Though you haven't seen that happen since you started seeing each other.

"We've got a new case underway, as you can see from Owen's new friend sprawled out on the table," Ianto jokes, smiling a bit again, "Here's what we have so far. It seems that something like a weevil but not a weevil has somehow mind controlled the rest into doing much more advanced amounts of damage than they're normally capable of. As soon as Owen figures out how this is happening, Tosh is going to make a disruptor so that it can't just send an army after us when we try to take care of it. So far, it seems to be broadcasting from the sewers here-" he points to a place on the map that the computer brought up, one of the main corridors of the sewer system leads to something like a cavern. "It one of the main drainage rooms. Which certainly explains all the back-ups people have been calling in."

"Believe me, it's not a pretty sight," you hear from behind you. Apparently Owen is done since he's come over to say hi, "Might want to avoid some of the main interchanges right now if you feel like being able to breathe." He just smiles and you smile back, replying to his 'Hello, kid, how are you,' with a 'Better for being here.' As much as you don't really say it, these guys feel more like your family than anyone at school, no matter how much your dad goes out of his way to make sure you go.

"So what's the plan of attack?" Gwen asks, the whole gang now gathered by the computer you're at.

"Well," says owen, "Apparently the slight psychic field they have is receptive to more frequencies than we thought. I'm thinking an all-spectrum signal jam should do the trick. Hit them with everything."

Tosh nods, saying, "I've already got one of those I've been working on. Just needs a few tweaks and it should be able to cancel just about anything within ten meters."

"You might want to up that to one-hundred, Tosh. I don't know how strong this thing will be."

She just nods, saying, "Give me one hour," before rushing off.

"I'll get the weapons ready," Gwen adds, also leaving.

Ianto is about to say something when Owen interrupts, "Why don't I set up the van, this time, Ianto? You two should catch up." He just sends Owen a thankful smile before holding out his hand.

"Come on, I've got something to show you."


	2. Episode 2

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 2.

You follow Ianto down corridors and through quite a few hallways, fingers laced as he leads you. "I've made this special for you. Figured that this way you can at least get some studying done whenever things get a bit slow. That way you won't start accidentally firing guns at walls again." He smirks, referencing the last time you were put in charge, one of the least eventful months to date. The worst part of that one was missing one of the conventions you'd been saving all year to go to.

"Yeah," you just reply with a smirk of your own, "Wouldn't want that to happen. Though I don't think it's likely with you around." You see the faintest of blushes from him as he smiles, stopping and opening a door with a cough.

"Well," he says, "Here we are, then." When you look inside, you see a giant library with a crimson and onyx color scheme. The chairs are all incredibly plush and either stationed around a table and in front of a cabinet or around a circular fireplace. "That's actually what started the little desktop fires you see in certain high-end magazines," he says, pointing to said fireplace. "And they're all first editions."

"What!" you ask, dumbfounded, "They're..."

"All first editions," he finishes for you with a smile. "I know a guy who owes me a few favors."

It's your turn to blush as you suddenly go shy, something you often have to work against, especially with Ianto. So you end up just hugging him, whispering a soft thank you before pulling back to smile sheepishly at him.

The moment you share is over quickly, though, as you practically run to start looking through the onyx - actual, stone onyx - bookshelves, squeeing over seeing your favorite titles there. "The entire Harry Potter series!" you say, calling out whatever you see.

"All signed," you hear behind you, Ianto now leaning against the doorway, just smiling and watching you. "J.K. owed us a favor, too."

"Signed... Signed, first edition Harry Potter books..." Then you notice the entire section devoted to complete sets of your favorite series'. Only after you stop bouncing from excitement do you notice the set of old books placed center stage, having an entire, velvet lined shelf to themselves with special bookends. The complete set of Sherlock Holmes stories, in the correct order, all first editions.

"I was wondering when you'd get to that." This time his voice is directly behind you and you turn to see Ianto with his hands in his pockets, just smiling at you.

However, you are a bit passed words. It's /Sherlock Holmes/. Instead of even attempting to find the words, you end up just pulling him into one hell of a kiss. It's only a moment or two later, when you hear a cough from the doorway, that you actually pull apart.

"Right, you two," Owen says, Gwen smirking and Tosh looking away and pretending not to have seen behind him, "Schedule's moved up a bit. Just got another mass attack on a police station. We're moving out."


	3. Episode 3

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 3.

Ianto drives, like always, but the others all mysteriously take back seats before you get to the car. "Drop me off at the police station," Owen says, "I'll toss in a sedative grenade and take care of everyone there then meet you in the main chamber." You turn to look at him, eyes wide at his not coming with you. "Don't worry," he says simply, as if reading your thoughts, "I'm just going to make sure they stay knocked out and hidden. There's a man hole about two blocks over that's directly above the main chamber. I'll come find you guys as soon as I'm done." Ianto just nods, doing as instructed.

"Here I go then," Owen says, hopping out. As you drive off, you can see he actually has several sedative grenades, so he should be okay against the melee you can hear coming from inside.

You just have to hope, though, since soon enough you're hurtling down a side street and the sounds of weapons prepping and the device Tosh has powering up suddenly quiet. Then the car is parked and everyone's getting out. You must be a bit less ready for this than you thought since Ianto is the one to open your door, asking softly as the others get a head start, "You alright? I can take you back or you can stay here."

"I'm alright," you assure him, swallowing and pulling on a smile to ease his fears, "How would that look to daddy dearest? Coming back to find everyone gone and the one he left in charge just hiding out?" You hop out of the car and straighten your clothes, catching what you think might be a mumble of 'at least you'd be safe'. "Hey," you say, turning to Ianto and pulling him into a hug, "I can take care of myself."

With that, you get your gun, on loan from Torchwood, and catch his hand in yours to tug him along as you chase after the others.


	4. Episode 4

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 4.

The next thing you know, the lot of you are spreading out through the sewers - a system that's oddly much more complex than you'd originally think. Again, you're left paired with Ianto. Gwen is going to take the front while you two flank the sides and catch it unaware, hopefully giving Tosh enough time to plant the signal jam before you come barging in that she can support from behind. You only hesitantly agree because it's logically the best tactical maneuver, the losing part of you wanting to keep the team safe. Since that's impossible given the situation, however...

You're pulled from your thoughts again by an arm in front of you, silently telling you to stop. Suddenly he's pulled close, and were this another location...

"The tunnels split up ahead," he whispers in your ear, his body less than an inch from yours, "I'll take the right hand side since it's easier to get lost that way and I know the tunnels better."

"I'll bet you do," you say with a smirk, trying to hide the fact you're not speaking above a whisper for a different reason entirely.

"Odd job perks," he replies with a smirk of his own. He gently leans a hair closer - how are you still not touching? - so that he can point down the tunnel you're to take and say, "Now, we don't have much time. That tunnel leads almost directly to the entrance you want. Just keep going straight until you don't have a choice. When it forks two ways, just take the right hand side. It'll loop you around to where you want to be. And remember, watch for Gwen's signal."

You just nod, catching his arm as he starts to move to the other path so that you can give him a quick kiss before saying softly, "For luck," and racing off before he can see you blush.

Five minutes later, you start hearing rumbling from up ahead. It only gets louder when you take the fork as instructed, moving quickly but cautiously through the twists and turns. Then it suddenly turns and opens into the main cavern, causing you to jump backwards rather ungracefully to avoid being seen.

Once you've gathered yourself enough to peek carefully into the chamber, you can see the slight matte sliver that you know is your boyfriend's suit just visible at the edge of the portal across the room from you. The thing that you both are trying to avoid the gaze of is terrifying: It's like a king of weevils made of its dead fellows. The only part of it that doesn't seem like multiple, smaller bits grafted together is the head: A giant skull like face with sinew and muscle and flesh strung and stretched over it. And over everything is this putrid stench of rotting flesh. It seems, in all, like something wholly unnatural. Whatever this... This /thing/ is... It was created, not born.

Even though none of you are telepathic, everyone feels a tension in the air, a pure, raw anger emanating from the beast in this room. The only ones seemingly unaffected are the weevils coming in from side tunnels to bring it food. You can practically see the eddies and swirls of calm that the beast channels around them.

And then it all vanishes.

You hear Gwen shout, "NOW!" the moment the feeling of anger lifts, both you and Ianto immediately jumping out to start firing at the thing.

But the bullets just make it angry.

It heads for Gwen first, causing Ianto to hurtle toward it, clinging to one of its legs in attempt to bring it down. But the monster is huge, and instead just looks at him like a gnat, swatting him the same way and sending him sprawling.

You hear yourself scream as you run closer, now aiming for the head, a wave of anger taking over you as you ignore the fear this thing's causing. "WHERE THE FUCK IS OWEN?" you call over the gunfire, pus seeming to fall in gushes from the hideous creature instead of blood.

"I'm here!" you hear him call, speak of the devil, from the direction that Ianto was thrown. "Don't worry, your man-candy is fine," he says, rushing to your side.

"Get behind it!" Gwen shouts, sending him sprinting away from you about halfway over, "How much sedative do you have packed in that bag of yours?"

"Probably not enough!" he shouts, already taking it out.

"Anything to slow it down," you say, hands shaking as you try to reload. "I'm going to distract it as soon as you're ready: You'll probably only get one shot!"

"GO!" Owen says, syringe already in his hand, "And make it count!"

You drop the gun, rush forward, and cling to its midsection, trying not to open your mouth or breathe in the foul slime and fog of odor coating what passes for skin. You can feel the bruises and a rib crack as it batters at you, trying to get you off, before it has bigger problems to worry about. Somehow, Owen is clinging to its neck, only just jabbing the needle into what you all assume is a vein and pushing the plunger before getting a similar reaction to Ianto. This time, though, Tosh is right in his path, the two of them tangling as he crashes into her and they fall.

Unlike Ianto, though, he isn't knocked out, so they both hear the blood-curdling shriek the thing lets out as the drugs start to effect it. It stumbles a bit, seeming to try and fight through a fog or through spider webs, its aim no longer as strong.

But the bullets still only enrage it further. Now it's maimed, and, dear god, is it furious.

First it goes after Gwen, sweeping her easily from the ground and throwing her just feet from your boyfriend, knocking her out cold, as well. But then Owen sees it start to turn and he pushes Tosh down the nearest corridor, shouting something about a drainage pipe. She tries to protest, but you shout, "JUST DO IT!" and she scampers off. One swipe of the creature's arm and Owen is tossed aside like a rag doll, thankfully landing with his head out of the water as he, too, is K.O.'d.

Apparently your shout was what it needed to remember that you're still clinging to its midsection, because you hear the tear of fabric as claws graze your back. It seems to find you the biggest threat since you get the feeling you're about to be torn to shreds when the water starts to bubble and swirl, a loud /thunk/ shaking the ground underneath you as something gives way. And you hear a whoosh as air whistles past, the approaching roar letting you know what's going to happen next. The ground beneath you gives way and you let go as the two of you are slammed into by walls of water and sewage from all sides. Even if you had taken a breath, the air is knocked out of you by the force of it as the raging current quickly discards any sense of which way up might be and everything goes black...

The next thing you know, you wake up with a gasp, coughing up water in Ianto's arms.


	5. Episode 5

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 5.

You feel him jump, almost dropping you, and turn to cough the water from your lungs in such a way that - even with the sewage still dripping into your eyes - you can't miss the crumpled look on his face or the trails of tears there.

"Jacque!" he practically sobs, wiping at his eyes, "Y-you, you w-were dead! I pulled you, face down, out of the river! How are you alive!"

"V-very painfully," you sputter between hacking up sewage and trying to breathe. Eventually you get back to normal and it's just the smell you're trying to be rid of when you wince and rub your chest. It feels like you were just hit there with a sledgehammer. Twice.

"I-I tried to perform CPR," you hear from one side, turning to see Tosh looking like she's seen a ghost, "You were gone."

"Yeah," you say, clearing the phlegm from your throat to try and get the slight raspy sound to go away, "Guess I'm back, now."

Suddenly, Ianto has his arms around you again, practically clinging to you and trembling hard.

"Shh," you whisper, holding him back tightly, "I'm okay."

You stay like that until the others stir, the clutching-for-dear-life relaxing, by then, to just being close. When Gwen wakes up, there's the obvious mumble of 'my head' before the expected, "What happened? Where did it go?" Oddly enough, it's Ianto who speaks up.

"From what I heard, you were taken down after me and Owen barely had enough time to tell Tosh to drown the thing before getting hit, too. She wasn't going to, since apparently this room is one big garbage disposal, but Jacque told her to do what he said. And since Jacque's in charge..." He shrugs, arms tightening around you protectively.

"Wait, wait, wait," you say, having not heard the full exchange between Tosh and Owen before, "Garbage disposal? Like the ones in the sink? All rotating blades and such?" You look, wide-eyed, as both Tosh and Ianto nod solemnly. "Jesus. Fuck, how am I alive?"

"I was just about to ask that about myself," you hear Owen groan, struggling to sit and rub at his head. "Fuck me, how long have I been out for?"

"About three hours," Tosh says, still in shock. In fact, her and Ianto look completely shaken by the whole thing.

"Why don't we go over this at home?" you suggest, "We go back to base, clean and fix ourselves up, and go back over it all over tea?"

The group as a whole nods, even those just waking up noting the tone of your voice and quickly catching on to how rattled the two are.


	6. Episode 6

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 6.

The drive back to the hub is silent, each trapped in their own thoughts. Owen and Gwen are confused, trying to figure out why Tosh has clammed up and how come Ianto is so tense his knuckles are white on the steering wheel. For your part, you're just wondering how in god's green earth you're alive.

The first time you talk again is when Owen is making sure you're alright. He'd gone through everyone, making sure nobody had any concussions or broken bones, but left you until last so that you could talk alone.

"So," he says, taking a bit longer to make sure, you know, your heart is still beating. "Tosh informs me you were dead. She says a good five to ten minutes. Care to explain that one, then?"

You just frown, saying, "Dunno. I haven't exactly died before, have I?"

He continues to do scans, making sure that you're getting enough air, that the gashes on your back are clean and don't need stitches or anything, etc. Eventually he declares you as fit as could be, besides the fractured rib, and bandages you up with a warning to not lift anything heavy for a while.

"Now," he finally says, "What are you going to do about Ianto?"

You just blink at him, frowning in thought, and say, "I don't even know what happened, yet. How can I talk to him about it?"

"Well, you're going to have to do something," he replies, "He was shattered when he came in here. The last time I saw him that broken was when he lost Lisa."

You just blink in confusion, "Wait... Who's Lisa?"

He just waves off the question, "He had a girlfriend back when canary wharf hit, she died. But the point is..." He comes over to where your sitting on the exam table, just not having gotten to moving, and sits next to you. "He's more attached to you than he thought, and it scares him. He almost lost the first person he's let himself get close to since he lost the one person he was closest to." He sighs and nudges your knee with one of his, summing it up with, "You're gonna have to talk to him."

A shower, change of clothes, and trip to the kitchen later, you find him hunched over the table, head in his hands. Figures he'd be here.

"Hey," you say softly, sitting across from him and sliding him a mug of chamomile tea. "I made you this. Not nearly as good as yours, and you probably need a lot more than that, but..."

He doesn't move, so you do. You put the tea down and wince as you start to drag the chair closer to him. That, however, gets him to jump up immediately. "Here," he says, face still a bit crumpled, "Let me help." He moves it for you, adding a soft, "You probably shouldn't be moving that. Rumor is you broke a rib."

You chuckle softly and say, "News sure travels fast around here."

All he needs to say is, "Owen told me," and you both nod, sitting close and falling silent as you sip your tea.

After sitting in silence a while, you say, "I'm sorry."

That triggers it, he shatters again and tears fall as he says angrily, "I could have lost you! You were dead, I /saw/ you were dead!" At this point it was clear he's more frightened and hurting than angry, still struggling with the grief of loss too much to get the relief of coming back. "I never- I /can't/ lose you, Jacque..." He puts his head int his hands, just shaking as he tries to sort through his emotions.

You nod, face setting as you remember that his being thrown was what started this, that you sacrificed yourself to save him, and place a hand on his shoulder with a simple, "I know."

You stay like that a while before moving to hug him. That gets an immediate response as he pulls you close and kisses you, a gesture you return completely.

Neither of you know how long you were like that, or when you transitioned to just being curled into him and on his lap, but eventually Tosh wanders in and says, "Oh. Sorry, if this room's taken, I'll make my tea somewhere else."

"No," you finally say, standing up and lacing fingers with Ianto, a queue for him to get to his feet. "I was just heading out." You nod to the door and tug on his hand and your boyfriend easily follows. It's a good thing he trusts you, because you lead him to the library he made for you. "Here," you say softly, "Just what you need, a place to relax and a story to escape to."

After a few moments of searching the shelves, you come across The Monster at the End of This Book and its sequel. You smile as you take them off the shelf, something that only grows as you see the bewildered look on his face that got rid of the crushing anguish that was just there. From there, it's a simple matter of leading him to the closest couch or loveseat, picking one by the fire, before motioning for him to sit so that you can move back to his lap.

"The Monster at the End of This Book," you start, pulling the stupidest grover voice you can muster to do the, "Helloooo Evereeebodyyyyyy~"

Ianto goes from looking at you like you've lost it to laughing outright at how ridiculous the whole thing is. Soon both of you are lapsing into fits of giggles and you're left gasping 'ow's between breaths, clutching the side that you hurt.

"Thank you," he says simply, catching his breath, "I think we both needed that."

"I know we did," you reply, grinning up at him before adding with a smirk, "I mean, it was that or OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALIVE sex, but I kinda can't exert myself at the moment." You nod to your side and he just laughs again.

"I'm sorry if I worried you. I was just so scared..." He starts to frown again and you kiss him to get him to focus.

"I know. But I'm here. We won." He just nods at your reassurance, pulling you close and holding you for the rest of the night anyway.


	7. Episode 7

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 7.

A week passes and you two make great use of his present to you. Apparently the cabinet is a hidden entertainment system. It has every game and game console available (and some that aren't) and flash drives of movies from past, present, and other. So whenever they aren't reading, the pair end up on the consoles, leaving the rest of the crew wondering where they vanish to for practically days at a time: something Owen can't help but rip on them for every chance he can get.

What neither of you let on to the fact that you aren't really sleeping. Both of you are awake for different reasons... But you're both awake at night. And it's something your dad notices when he comes back from his trip.

"You look like hell," he says, ruffling your hair, "Rough week?"

You smile wearily and nod, pulling out of the hug you gave your dad when he first walked in. "Tell you about it at home," you say simply. Since dying, you and Ianto have been much closer, but neither of you really want to talk about that day. At least not in front of each other.

That night, you stay in the hub after Jack sends Ianto home, telling him he really does need his rest and is therefore on leave until he's needed. Part of it is the fact that he looks just as wiped out as you do, but the other is that your dad wants some time alone with you to talk.

So when he comes over and hands you tea, you're not surprised to see the file and report from the sewer in his hand.

"So. Rough week doesn't even begin to cover it, huh?" he asks softly.

You just shake your head. "I was dead. By all rights, I /shouldn't/ be alive. Even if I somehow missed the giant whirling blades of death, I drowned. /Drowned/, dad." You huff out a breath and run a hand through your hair, tugging on it as you follow the same frustrating train of thought that's been plaguing you each night, "Five to ten minutes. I went without air for at least five minutes /after/ being pulled out of the water." You frown, almost missing your father's sigh while lost in thought.

"There's something you should know," he says softly, "I should have told you this a while ago, but I figured that I wouldn't have to." He just looks at you, suddenly seeming much older than anyone should. "I can't die."

"You /what/!" You just gape at him, everything clicking into place in your head. "You /can't die/ and it doesn't occur to you to tell your kid?"

"Hey, I never said that," he says, cutting you off before you can get too upset, "I had planned on telling you once you had your future set up. I was thinking either just out of university or once you got your first promotion."

He's frowning, but you can tell he's sincere. And that's enough to calm you back down. "Yeah, but-but... Dad," you tug at your hair again, trying to figure out how to phrase this, "What if I had died and come back? How would you have handled it, then? What if it was before torchwood? Have I died before and you just, I don't know... Didn't tell me?"

He shakes his head, answering, in order, "You didn't until now, so there's no point in speculating. And no, you haven't died before. I probably would have tried to explain it away, but..." He shrugs, saying, "I wanted to protect you from something I knew I couldn't. Everyone screws up, but this isn't that big of one."

You just raise an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms.

"Hey," he says with a grin, "I could have locked you in a cupboard until your eleventh birthday."

That gets you smile reluctantly, shaking your head. "As far as dads go," you say honestly, "You're pretty damn awesome."


	8. Episode 8

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 8.

You've been told that your dad used to just live at The Hub, but, as far back as you can remember, you shared a two room flat. There's a den with a fold out couch for the times you had friends over, but mostly it's just you and your dad. When he isn't out hunting aliens or at the hub, that is. But the space, while a bit small, is most definitely yours. And it's home.

By the time you get home, you're wiped. This is probably the first time since the night in the sewer that you felt that you might be able to sleep. So you get changed and tidy a bit - and by 'tidy', you mean shove things behind the flags covering the storage in what was once a lower bunk of your bunk bed set - before passing out.

Thankfully, it was friday when your dad decided to come back, so you can spend the day either at home or with him. Potentially both, seeing as how you wake up to him making your favorite breakfast.

So you stumble out in your jimjams, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and glasses askew, and plop yourself down at the table. "Your tea will be ready in a sec. I was actually about to wake you," Jack says from the counter, finishing up the fixings for your tea. "I figured you could use a bit of a day off. If it wasn't a saturday, I might have actually had you stay home from school." He grins, teasing you a bit, and sets the tea, oatmeal, and toast in front of you before sitting one seat over.

"So," you say, sipping your tea, "Mental health day with the old man?"

That just makes him laugh, saying, "I'm not /that/ old!"

You grin and raise an eyebrow, saying, "Uh-huh, how long have you not-died?" You're just curious and are sort of busting on him, but the question sobers him a bit.

"You don't want to know," he replies, getting up to grab his coffee.

"Yeah," you say, "Except that I do." You frown and stab your oatmeal with the spoon he gave you, adding, "I'm sort of in the same boat, apparently... What do I have to look forward to?"

He just sighs, running a hand through his hair, a trait you got from him. "You know, most parents dread having the birds-and-the-bees talk with their kinds."

"But since when are you 'most parents'?" you ask. "Besides. The birds and the bees talk was easy for you. Not exactly shy, are you?"

He smiles slightly, saying, "Yeah... Guess I had to have something tough to make up for it." You just nod, giving him time to think.

"I'm One-Hundred and Seventy-Five," he says, coming back to sit down next to you. "Is that alright?"

You just stare at him, spoon halfway to your mouth. "Um," you say, blinking a few times, "I mean, not much I can do about it. You don't exactly pick that sort of thing." You clear your throat and put down the spoon, just letting that sink in. "My dad is one-hundred and seventy-five years old." You just nod and say, "Alright. I'm okay with that."

He smiles slightly and sits in silence with you, sipping his coffee while he lets you think of what you want to ask. Things like, "How many times have you died," "What happens when you want to have, like, money? Do we get fake identities or something every hundred years," and "Does it hurt?"

All the answers up until then he gives without a hitch, smiling by the end of explaining that it helps to work at torchwood... But then his smile falters and he says honestly, "Every time."


	9. Episode 9

Ianto/Jacque fic.

Part 9.

School seems sort of pointless after that.

"If you don't get a good education, where will you end up in life?" He asks you sunday night. You made the mistake of saying that thought aloud.

"Apparently somewhere where I won't have to re-invent myself every fifty years," you answer, adding, "And I have the rest of eternity and then some to worry about school. That whole 'you never stop learning' thing really seems to apply now, huh?"

"Sweetheart, you're going to have to try and live a normal life," he says, messing up your hair as he gets his things together to help fix up the hub. The back-up generator exploded. Again.

"But what's the point?" you ask, the edge to your voice showing the bit of the existential crisis starting at the back of your mind.

"The point," he says, catching you eyes and coming to sit by you on the couch, "Isn't just to go from day to day. It's not to survive. The point," he says, "Is to live."

The next day you go do to school. But you skip out early with a fake headache.

There's some living that's just calling your name. And he wears some nice suits.

You come in to the hub find everyone else gone. Ianto is tidying up after everyone, something that the others seem to take for granted, though he assures you otherwise.

"Hey," you say softly, leaning against the door frame, "Can I help? I promise not to lift anything heavy."

He jumps, but when he looks up, his smile is brighter and more genuine than it had been since before your death. "No, it's fine," he says, putting the things he has away before smiling softly and saying, "But some company would be nice."

You smile and pick a spot on the couch to sit, just watching as he works. Neither of you need to comment when he catches you staring: his smile as he catches your eyes gets an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle in return.

Somehow, an hour or so later, you've gotten him to take turns reading Harry Potter aloud with you. The lights are dimmed and Owen gave you something that made your bones mend a bit faster, something that currently reminds you of Madam Pomfrey. With the fire crackling as one of the strongest sources of light in the library, the setting is actually very nice.

Over the week they'd actually made their way through to book six, so by the time they'd both lost track of their worries they were at the end of chapter twenty four, "Sectumsempra".

"'A roar of celebration erupted from the hole behind her'," Ianto read, "'Harry gaped as people began to scream at the sight of him; several hands pulled him into the room.'"

"'"We won!" yelled Ron," you continue, picking up as if on queue, "'bounding into sight and brandishing the silver Cup at Harry. "We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and fourty! We won!"'"

"'Harry looked around;'" continues Ianto, "'there was Ginny running toward him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him.'" He reads on, completely oblivious to the way you're looking at him. "'And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching-'"

You kiss him, and he doesn't get to finish that sentence.


	10. Episode 10

Ianto/Jacque fic

Part 10.

You're not sure when or how you ended up on the floor, but you think it had something to do with needing more room to maneuver. But all that thinking suddenly comes to a halt when suddenly he's kissing and nibbling at your throat, making you gasp and tug gently at his hair.

"Fuck, Ianto," you moan, one of his legs having worked its way between yours to let him grind against you.

"Only if you want to," he says, smirking slightly as he starts winding his way down. "Is this alright?" he asks, sincere and so very sweet to make sure that you really want this next level to your relationship before continuing.

You just blush and nod, a smile on you lips. "Yeah," you say simply, playing your fingers through his hair, "It's perfect."

He just grins, letting his hands wander again before picking back up where he left off. Soon enough, both of you are tugging at each other's clothing, only pausing in making each other moan long enough to get off various garments and toss them aside.

You're so wrapped up in each other by the time you finally tug off his briefs that you both jump at the, "... I'll come back later," from the doorway.

You both turn in time to see Owen close the door with a smirk before Ianto says, "I'm going to get quite a bit of attention for this tomorrow..."

You think for a moment before smiling and turning his chin to look at you, saying, "Then let's give them something to talk about," before pulling him into a heated kiss. Soon enough, you're back on track and very glad that Ianto 'forgot' to install the cameras, else you're pretty sure everyone would be gathered around a computer to watch.

It's really to bad, actually. Would have been quite a show.

It's several hours - and quite a few rounds - later when you two finally wind up cuddled together, glowing and spent.

You're just thinking about how amazing Ianto is when you hear a soft whisper of, "I love you."

You look up at him, surprised, and find he looks somewhere between shocked and worried. Owen was right, you're the first person he's gotten close to. So it's a good thing you feel the same way.

You feel your face light up and the blush come back as you say, "I love you, too," and kiss him, making him look even more shocked and amazed... But in the second before you two kiss, the joy on his face is breathtaking. You'll never forget that smile. Or the fact that /you/ caused it.

Eventually there's a mutual decision that clothes are probably a good idea and that sleep is probably important. So it comes as no surprise that he offers to drive you home while you help him with his tie. Of course you accept.

As you two leave, you notice that Owen left his tie hanging on the doorknob. "Clever, that," Ianto says, "I'll have to remember that for next time." You return his smirk and make sure to take it with you while Ianto laces your fingers and tugs you back up to the main room. Where Owen happens to be.

"Hey," you call, completely aware that you both have sex hair thanks to his wolf whistle, "Thanks for the system. We'll be sure to use it next time." You toss him the tie with a smirk, watching as he looks you both over.

"You can't have been in there all this time. Where are you off to, now?" he asks.

"Oh," Ianto says with a bit of a grin, "You'd be surprised."

"We're going to go sleep," you say, nodding at Ianto's remark. "Don't want this one collapsing on the job or running a red light tomorrow."

You both smirk as Gwen walks in and says, "Finally come up for air, then?"

"Just heading home, actually," you say, getting a reply of 'his place or your own?'

Ianto just smiles politely and says, "Wouldn't you like to know~" though he's unable to hide a smirk as he tugs you out the door.

"Oi!" Owen calls after you, "Don't wear him out too bad, Jacque! You don't know how bad this place gets without his help!"


	11. Episode 11

You end up going back to his place.

Since the next day's class is actually at night, you'll have plenty of time to go home and change. At least, that's what he uses to try and persuade you to come over. You're not terribly hard to persuade.

"Sorry about the mess," he says as he opens his door. Apparently you two have different ideas about what a mess is, since his place is pretty close to immaculate.

"It's better than my place," you say simply. As you're looking around, you don't notice him sneak off. When you next turn around, he's there with an over-sized t shirt and sweat pants for you.

"Sorry, probably should have thought of Pyjamas," he says sheepishly. "Will these do?"

"Oh my god. Thanks, that's really sweet of you." You take them and hold them close for a second, taking a breath before commenting, "Mmm, they smell like you."

That just makes him chuckle, saying, "Well, they're just extras. You can keep them if you want."

You just grin and hug him before running off to change.

When you eventually wander back out, you hear him in the kitchen. He's in a pair of pyjama pants... And nothing else.

You pad over and hug him from behind, earning a soft chuckle and a, "Find everything alright?"

You just nod, listening to his words through his back as he says, "I made you something."

He gently disentangles himself from you, putting his arm around you instead. "Here..." The new position lets you see the two mugs of froth-topped... Something. "Back home mum used to make this for me every night before bed until I could make it on my own. It's warm milk with a bit of honey. That's why I'm so good at coffee and tea: if you can make this and have it come out really good, then you can make pretty much anything."

You just smile at him, kissing his cheek before saying, "Thank you. That's brilliant~"

He smiles and picks up both mugs before offering you his arm, head tilting slightly and eyebrows raising to indicate he'd like to sit down with you.

Soon enough, you're curled into each other on the couch, the milk and honey making you sleepy - something not terribly hard to do since you tired each other out so thoroughly. You end up falling asleep in his arms and having a dream of being carried... That isn't a dream, since you wake up later to find that you're in his bed and there's a smell of french toast and tea coming from the kitchen. Or, apparently, the hallway, since you sit up just in time for him to bring it in on a tray.

"Ah, you're awake," he says with a smile, putting down the tray over you're lap. Now that it's closer you can also smell the single lily he has on the tray.

"I was going to leave this covered for you if you were still asleep. Now I get to enjoy your lovely company," he smiles, adding, "Of course, that's if you want me."

You shift over slightly and pat the bed next to you. Ianto is already in his pants, shirt, and vest, the last of which isn't buttoned yet. Apparently he's an early riser.

You just smile at him, though, and kiss him before saying, "Thank you. Do you do this for everyone or am I just that good?" You smirk when he laughs, trying to get your wit to work earlier than usual.

"No, you're pretty special. The only other person I made breakfast for was Lisa. Well, her and my mum, but I figured that you weren't looking for that comparison," he replies, making you blush.

Apparently your wit isn't all there yet since the only response you can come up with it to kiss him properly. That's something he quickly returns, causing the two of you to pull back with matching grins. "Any chance you still have the cover for the french toast?"


	12. Episode 12

The french toast is now forgotten on the floor as you sit in his lap and work his clothes off between kisses. By the time you've wandered a trail down to his collar bones, his hips are rocking up to yours: the fact your hands have found their way under his shirt probably more than enough encouragement for what you feel under you.

"Fuck, Jacque," he groans, his thumbs pressing into your inner thighs as he clutches at you.

You hide just how much that affects you by swallowing your moan and just smirk, getting to reply, "We will, don't worry~"

You guide his hands up to the headboard, telling him to keep them there as you let your fingers and nails play over his chest, your handcuffs to far away to bother with as you test out what he likes.

There's not much he doesn't like, apparently. Either that or the fact that he can feel your every slight move overwhelms anything else. Although, you do find a few favorites which cause you to go and get said handcuffs. Soon enough, your moans are hard to tell apart and clothes litter the sides of the bed.

"How about we see just how much pleasure you can take," you say with a bit of a smirk.

He just smiles, eyes dark, and says, "More than you can dish out," daring you.

That just makes you start teasing him, not that he needs it, just to see how far you can push his self control. You try anything from the nails over his chest to light hair pulling (both of which he particularly likes), and find other things that pull particularly interesting reactions from him. Last time you were both focused on each other; this time it's his treat.

Soon you have him whimpering as you nibble your way down his torso, making a zig-zag across his chest that has him arching up to you before kissing down to his navel, nails just catching along his sides. The sounds he's making just spur you on, all low moans and gasps hiding the little sounds of want at the back of his throat.

When your nails catch at his inner thighs, he groans and bites his lip, just barely managing to pull himself back from the insane amount of pleasure you're giving him to say, "Ah, it's-it's okay. You... You don't have to do this."

"I want to," you assure him, the slight smile and spark in your eyes more than enough proof for him.

You smirk as you start to play with him, rubbing your thumb up and down just to watch him groan and buck up to your hand. It's more than easy to work him up, your clever fingers taking care of anything your teasing didn't. And after a bit you lean down and flick your tongue over his tip. That just makes him gasp, his hips moving again, and you move your hands to gently hold him still while you work him over with your mouth. You've never done this for him - or for anyone, actually - so you end up playing with how much of him you can take in at one time, contrasting temperatures, and so much more. The entire time, you stay gentle, just lips and tongue, but soon enough he's panting and shaking. Maybe it's the patterns you play with your tongue when you can or the fact you hum on every down-stroke, but after a bit he's gasping out a warning. That's your queue to kiss him, quieting him momentarily as you switch your mouth for your hand, careful to just keep him there for a bit before letting him come.

The kiss stifles a shout that was probably your name and you only break it when he finally collapses against the bed. You take down his handcuffs and put them aside, just pulling close to cuddle while he regains his breath...

Which happens sooner than you thought it would.

Suddenly he's pinned you to the bed, kissing you passionately, and cuffing /you/ to the headboard. That just frees his hands, though, and soon they're playing over your chest, your sides, everything he touches arching up to him or tensing under his trailing fingers.

"So," he says with a bit of a smirk, "You like to tease. Lets see how you take to a taste of your own medicine.

The next several hours are a bit of a blur: lots of moaning, quite a few curses, and some of the best pleasure of your life melding into one hell of an experience. He goes down on you this time, only using it to get you worked up. Then he slows the frantic pace he'd set to almost painfully slow, causing you to curse even more and grit your teeth to keep from pleading for more. And you thought the /library/ was awesome~

Apparently he was stalling for time, because next he's biting and sucking at your neck as his hands cup your chest... And then he's inside you and you can't help but cry out. From there he starts a hard, sharp, almost staccato pace, your reactions making him pick up the pace quickly.

It's only a matter of time before you're both climaxing and crying out each other's names. However, it has already been /quite/ a bit of time and you have the feeling he's already late for work... Something neither of you seem to have the capacity to care about since you're both collapsed and trembling.

"Um, h-handcuffs?" he asks with a smirk, one eyebrow raised, when he finally gets his voice back.

You just chuckle, your own voice a bit rough, and nod. "Yep. You like?"

He just grins and nods before uncuffing you and pulling you into a soft kiss. "I love you," he says, just holding you now that you can actually turn to cuddle into him.

"I love you, too." You just smile, knowing there's not much more that needs saying.


	13. Episode 13

Even though he's late, he does do some stuff from his flat. So while he's on the phone fact-checking and doing searches on the laptop he has linked into the base's computer, you end up putting on a pair of his boxers and the shirt he gave you. By the time the next meal rolls around, he's so absorbed in his work that he forgets to eat... So you make him lunch, instead.

"Hey," you say, hugging him from behind, "I made you pasta. All you've had so far is cold french toast and coffee. It's not much, but you should eat."

He sighs, blinking as he comes back out of the research he was doing. "Pasta. Right," he says, rubbing his eyes. He huffs out a breath before smiling at you, saying honestly, "Thanks. I probably would have just sort of forgotten until it got too bad to ignore." He kisses you softly before sitting next to you at the table, getting your chair for you out of habit.

The two of you eat one handed, the other occupied with lacing your fingers as your knees brush beneath the table.

"I should probably drive you home," he says, giving your hand a soft squeeze.

You just shrug, saying, "As much as I'd like to stay, probably. I have to shower and change before class."

He grins, blushing slightly and says, "I'd offer to let you shower here, but I don't think you have whatever products you use. Or a toothbrush." He pauses for a moment and looks away before saying softly, "We should probably fix that."

You just look at him, a smile spreading across your face, "So... Is that your way of asking to make this a regular thing?" You gently reach over and turn his face toward you, saying, "Cause I'd really like that."

You do shower at home that day, but it's only after a quick stop to buy you a toothbrush.

And though you sleep in your own bed that night, it's in the t shirt and boxers he let you keep 'because they smell like him'.

Your classes start getting really tough. Like, ridiculously tough. You swear that half your teachers have moved to the next grade-level's curriculum before the first half of the semester. So your indignation (and slight relief) at being told to /not/ go to class is completely justified.

"But Dad! What happened to my getting a good education? Mrs. Green made it clear that if I miss another day then I /can't/ pass!"

"Just trust me. Stay home today," Jack says. The sudden severity of his tone shocks you, putting you on guard as the pieces click into place.

"What's happened?" you ask. Something must be going down at the school.

"It's none of your concern," he says simply, "If you want, you can take the car. But /only/ to go visit Ianto. I'm having him work from home today. I figured you'd need company if I expected you to stay put."

Your sulk is slightly ruined by the slight smirk that your dad's pulls from you. Sly bastard. This is why he's one of the coolest dads ever.

He tosses you the keys and you just grin, giving him a kiss on the cheek before he leaves. "Be careful out there, dad."

He just gives you a cheeky wink, saying, "Always am. Mostly."

That just leaves you wondering what you should bring to Ianto's.


	14. Episode 14

You end up bringing a few changes of clothes and a set of pjs, as well as stopping for a couple duplicates of your various products since he commented on it. Then you realize daddy dearest probably didn't tell Ianto /why/ he was working from home today... Making a phone call your next order of business.

"Hullo?" you hear him ask, slightly preoccupied, after a couple of rings.

"Hey. Rumor has it you're working from home. Want some help and company?"

He just chuckles. "Ah. Told to stay home by your dad, then? That certainly explains why I'm not driving them. Though it could have been my lowered reaction time from not getting nearly enough sleep."

You can practically hear him smirk at that last remark, making you mirror the picture in your head. "Hey, you never know, it could be both. Though I don't think you're one to complain~"

"Who's complaining? I'd love your company. And feel free to bring a laptop if you would like to help. I'm sure the team could use an extra hand on this one."

A quick stop home for your laptop, then you're knocking on the door to his place. You hear a couple thuds and a soft curse before your boyfriend answers the door in a tank top and sweatpants. It's an interesting look: not nearly as nice as his suits, but you like it.

"Hey, sorry. I was just... Well. Don't you look nice~"

You just smirk, having picked out a purple button down and nicer pants, the shirt just cut to give you that extra bit of definition. And the top few are unbuttoned. Just 'cause.

"Erm," he blinks and walks back and to the side, motioning you in. "Come one in..." His eyes don't leave you. Apparently you chose well.

You have an extra swag in your step as you put the bag in his room, otherwise asking, "Where should I set up my laptop?"

That, unfortunately, throws him back into business-mode. With a sharp nod, he says, "Right. Just a tic," and manages to set you up a table right by his. "Here, let me get that for you."

"You know," you say thoughtfully, something occurring to you as he plugs your laptop into the base-connector-thing, "I really should register your fingerprint. That way you won't have to ask for a password to get into my computer."

He just smiles at you, that comment actually making him pause. "Sounds good," he says, "Though you already know my password, Jacque."

You raise an eyebrow as he turns back to his work, patting the chair he pulled up for you. On that cryptic note, you turn back to the computers. Especially since your dad's voice comes out of his computer with a, "Whenever you two are ready, dear." Apparently he can hear you.

"Hey, dad. What's going on?"

"Not sure, yet. Just some weird energy readings."

Even though you can't see him - Ianto's computer acting like another com - you can tell he's keeping something from you. You wouldn't be left home if it wasn't really, really bad.

"So this is what you do, when you work from home? Just sit and hope that you guys are okay and look up whatever you need?" you ask.

"Pretty much," Ianto replies, "That and monitor their life signs, keep up a blueprint of the school, and try to track them through the cameras on the campus."

You just nod, thinking that if things were as bad as your dad probably thinks - and he's usually right - you would rather be there to help instead of sitting here and feeling useless.

Just as you say that, Ianto brings up the cctv. Apparently he's hacked into the system, since he follows them real-time as they go through the halls, tosh tracing the energy source down to a broken lift.

"Hey," you say, "I know that one. I have to take the stairs up to maths because that thing's been out of order since 2007."

Everyone pauses. "What?"

"That's what the rumors say. Some janitor trainee broke it during routine maintenance that summer," you say, just looking from Ianto to the screen, "Why?"

The team shares a glance on screen, Ianto just frowning as you ask, "What did I miss?"

"Never mind," Jack says. "Ianto, you probably can't follow us into the elevator shaft, but do your best to get any and every camera you can. Any eyes you can have on or around us will be appreciated. Owen, go to the van and get the tape. I want this entire area roped off, as well as upper floors, got that?" He says a 'yes, sir' and runs off as Jack continues, "Tosh, see what you can get off that elevator. I want it to at least open, though I'd prefer it up and running. Now, Jacque," he says, turning to the nearest camera to look at you.

"Yes, dad?"

"If things get ugly, I want you to be ready to call the police. Tell them Security level one, torchwood, and to quarantine the university on my signal."

"What are you expecting?" you ask, worried for him.

"Never you mind. Just have them on speed dial, preferably away from the screen. Ianto, if things get rough, I want you to get Jacque out of there. Shut down the computers if you have to. You'll know when your help has run out."

Ianto just nods, apparently everyone knowing what the threat is but you.

"Dad..." you say, genuinely scared for the first time you can remember.

"I don't want any argue-"

"No, just... Be careful."

He looks up to the camera again, saying, "Always am."

Then Owen is back, roping things off, and he's called away by Tosh, who managed to get the lift to work again. You just stare at the screen, biting your lip, when you feel Ianto pull you into a hug, causing you to whisper, "It's not going to be alright, this time, is it?"


	15. Episode 15

You feel like you're right there, even though you're not able to do much more than sit and watch, while Jack, Tosh, and Owen go to explore the elevator. Apparently it had its own camera, since the picture came up as soon as Tosh fixed the lift.

"We're right with you," Ianto says, continuing to track them. He managed to hack into the school website and leave a small notice to the side that they're finally doing maintenance on the broken Maths lift and for everyone to enter at the other side of the building. A few students and faculty came by to look, but nobody stayed longer than a glance at the do not enter tape. "And you shouldn't be bothered by passers-by."

"Thanks, Ianto. I knew I can count on you. You're a wizard behind the scenes"

"Pretty good up-close-and-personal, too~," you say softly, smirking at him.

"Careful, that's harassment, love," he says, returning the look.

"Am I going to have to separate you two?" Jack asks, just amused.

"Nah. I know there's a time and a place, dad," you chuckle, causing Owen to mutter, "I still don't know where you got that from."

"Ah, you know you love it," Jack replies with a wink, making everyone chuckle before the lift's doors opening makes a heavy silence fall.

"Ianto, what do you see?" Jack asks, all business again.

"Nothing. They haven't got cameras down there..." His face sets, knowing just how bad this can be, "I'm sorry. You're on your own."

"Well," Jack says, steeling himself, "Let's go then. Ianto, Jacque... Be ready."

Then it's silence as they leave, Ianto doing his best to approximate where they are on the map. Up until they're off the map.

"Ianto..." Tosh pipes up, "Do those blueprints say anything about another lift?"

"No, the one at the other end of the building doesn't have basement access."

Jack's there in a second with a, "I take it you found one?"

He must've seen her nod because he says into the coms, "How far did everyone else get? Did anyone find anything?"

"Nope," and "All clear over here," Owen and Gwen chime in.

"All right," Jack says, "Everyone meet me by the north wall, dead center. There's only one way to know where this goes."

Saying 'be careful' would be pointless at this point, but you sure as hell think it. You and Ianto are almost blind and deaf while they pile into the elevator, the ride down silent.

You guess from the long ride that the team is several stories underground by the time the doors open and you hear Gwen's whispered, "Oh, my god..."

"Jacque," you hear your dad say, "You're going to need to make that call, now." The doors close just as a muffled mechanical shriek is heard, almost like someone screaming into a voice-changer.

"We are discovered. Recover the intruders and accelerate the plans. Prep the machines for emergency upgrading."

"Tosh, get us out of here. Ianto," Jack says in a rush, "I'm going to need you to call UNIT, Sarah Jane, anyone who can help. Jacque, as soon as you place that call, get to the base. There's someone I need you to call in for help."

"Who is it, why can't I call them from here?" you ask, already dialing 999.

"The Doctor. You need to call The Doctor. Tell him we're outnumbered and...

The Cybermen are back."


	16. Episode 16

The next few minutes are a loud blur, calling in the quarantine suddenly much harder to do since Ianto is calling in UNIT and the sounds coming from the coms not helping your worry AT ALL. Ianto practically has to drag you out the door, telling you to drive and call Sarah Jane while he helps the team navigate out. They haven't been caught yet - god, those buggers are slow - but UNIT can't get there fast enough and Jack refuses to leave until he absolutely has to.

"Just call The Doctor! That's an order!" Jack finally shouts. The figurative kick in the pants what you need to clear your head a bit. Normally you'd be okay, but this is your /dad/ in danger... And he's all you've got.

By that time, you're sprinting through the base, outpacing your boyfriend, even, just to get to the computer and and find you don't know what the protocol for that is.

"Emergency Program Two!" you hear him call - speak of the devil - from the entryway.

Every computer in the hub lights up, a dial-tone and then ringing heard over the speaker system as the same set of numbers light every screen.

"Jack, me ol' mate! I haven't seen you in forever!" you hear, the screens switching to show a young man with poofy brown hair in a suit. The man on the screen just beams until he sees your faces.

"I'm not Jack, J-A-C-K. I'm his kid, Jacque with a Q-U-E. My dad's in trouble. He told me to call you and tell you that they're outnumbered. By Cybermen. They're back."

The Doctor's face sets, a curt not and, "Tell me your coordinates," all he needs before he's on the way and you both rush back outside, Ianto driving this time to go join the fray.

Of course, just as you're about to leave, Dad chimes in with a list of things to bring from the hub. And to tell you that one of you needs to stay there to man the base, something he actually needs since whoever stays can patch into the computers and control bits of the city.

Ianto wants that to be you.

Fighting ensues.

"No way," you say simply, "You know the computers inside and out. My place is out there, fighting."

"I just want you safe!" he finally shouts, "I /can't/ lose you! I lost Lisa to the Cybermen, I can't lose you, too!"

You just stop, finally getting it. This is why you were left home, why you were /both/ left home. If Ianto was there, there would be no stopping you from being at his side... But if you were there, he'd be next to useless, too busy having flashbacks to the last time he lost someone he loved.

"Look at me," you say softly, gently tugging his hands from his face to let him look at you. "I'm not going to die. I can't die. Worst case scenario is you find the biggest bit of me you can and leave me in a med bay for a couple weeks or something."

He's crying, anyway, and you just pull him into a hug. "I need to be there. I have to help my dad. But I promise you, I'm going to come back for you, okay?"

You feel him nod, but he doesn't let go. It's like if he holds you close enough, maybe he can protect you. But it doesn't last, there isn't time.

"You can work that out later, love! Ianto, we need help /now/. One of you get to the computer and the other get to the car. Whoever comes with me, I promise I will do everything I can to make sure that they get out of here alive," Jack says, the laptop still tuned into the com system.

"I love you," you says softly, touching your forehead to his.

He takes the moment for a kiss, saying, "Good luck. You'd better come back, cause if you die I just might kill you."

You each have a hint of a smile before having to leave, both of you worried for the other. If you fail... No, you stop yourself from going down that road. You won't let that happen.

By the time you get back out to the car, you're ready to fight. "Hang in there dad," you think aloud, "I'm coming."

When you get there, everything is surprisingly quiet.

They somehow managed to get an emergency warning for everyone to stay in their homes, shutting the roads for miles around. The only reason you managed to get through the three blockades is because you have Torchwood ID.

Then you get to the sandbag wall that UNIT built around the school (geez, that was fast) and end up running to your dad's side. The entire team is there, as is The Doctor and a couple of people you don't know in different uniforms.

"Jacque, this is The Doctor. He's an old friend," he says, running through introductions quickly, "These are The Brigadier and Lieutenant-General Sanchez, both with UNIT. The Brigadier was just passing through when this happened, so we just got lucky."

"You got lucky. Meanwhile I'm probably not holidaying in Wales again for quite some time," he comments, getting a nudge and witty response from The Doctor, "Oh, come on. I know you, always ready for a fight. Probably wouldn't miss this for the world."

Jack just smirks, continuing, "Everyone, this is Jacque, my kid. And no, I wasn't the one to pick the name."

You shake everyone's hands. You knew you that Torchwood wasn't the only one who fought aliens - and heard whispers of The Doctor - but actually having them show up... Any other time, you would be thrilled. Now it just makes everything that much more terrifying.

"So. What was in there, exactly, and what are we planning to do about it?" you ask.

"Well, currently there's a theory that they aren't the same ones we met, or that maybe they've evolved. Both of which - while valid - will make taking them out twice as hard," Jack says.

"Soo, going from what we know," The Doctor picks up, "The basic plans are to try and send some sort of electric or electromagnetic pulse through the whole building. Preferably," he says, adding a bit of a wary look to the major, "One that won't hurt any of the humans still inside?"

The Brigadier nods, saying, "Don't worry, Doctor. I wouldn't want any more casualties than will be caused by the Cybermen. And hopefully we won't even get those."

"You're getting old," The Doctor says with a grin.

"Either way," Jack interrupts, pulling them back on track, "It'll take some time to get the right equipment built and moved. In the meantime, we've set up a perimeter and need to know exactly where to shoot and with what. The papers and boxes I had you bring have the basic build of a Cyberman as we know them and bullets that can tear one wide open."

"Only," The Doctor says, "To destroy the emotional inhibitor. Hopefully it'll just slow them down until we can figure out a way to fix this. There's got to be a way to save them, we just haven't found it, yet."

You bring everything over, looking at the plans with the others.

That's when you get an idea.

"Why don't you just build better bodies?" you ask, "You know, ones that look sort of like they did? If they have names, we've got to have pictures. The ones that make it past finding out what they are can get put into machines that look like themselves."

Everyone just stares at you.

"That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?" The Doctor says, grinning.

"And you can take them to another planet where they can live out the rest of their lives," adds Jack.

"Everyone can be happy," Gwen says, "Everybody wins."

"And," adds Owen, "As long as people don't find out, you're safe."

"You've got a great kid, there, Jack," The Doctor says, "Who's the mum, anyway?"

"Who says there is one?" Jack quips, quickly changing the subject, "The only problem is that we don't know enough about this technology to be able to design better bodies."

"If you get me in there, I can figure it out in an hour, tops," Tosh says.

"No," Jack says, "It's too dangerous."

"But if she doesn't it'll take months just to reconstruct the boards. And they don't exactly come with a manual," Owen replies, prompting Tosh to ask, "Can Cybermen even be cryogenically frozen?"

"Even if this all works," the Major speaks up, "What's to keep them from fighting back even without the inhibitor chip?"

"Picture this;" The Doctor says, the whole group falling still to listen, "You're off to work or class, or even just cleaning up something. You black out for a bit and, when you come to, suddenly everything's cold. You have jumbled memories of people dying by your hand... But it can't be yours, you're not a robot. Then you look in a mirror, and oh, yes you are. But it's worse than that," he says, "Because they've even stolen your identity. You didn't have a name, all your identifying marks, even your gender or gender identity is gone. Chucked in the bin. And it's all so cold, cause if it wasn't, you'd die.

"Does that sound like a life you'd want, Major? Or would you turn to the first person who promised to help you?"

The Major just nods, the point proven, and says, "Right. So, once the inhibitor chip is knocked out, what do we do with them?"

"Last time, most of them died," The Doctor says darkly, "The machinery couldn't process their emotions at finding out what they had become."

"Any chance UNIT has psychologists trained in this sort of thing?" Jack asks, a slight bitter edge to his voice.

"Even if we did," The Major says blandly, "What would they say to these... Things?"

"People, Major," The Brigadier reminds him, having seen the look on The Doctor's face, "Behind that chip and the mechanical suit are human minds. And not ones that volunteered, from what I've heard."

The major seemed to almost sulk, but pulled back with a nod, saying, "Alright. That still doesn't solve my question about what do do with the survivors, /if/ there are survivors."

"I can take them," says The Doctor, "If Jack can freeze them - or if UNIT can, either way - then I can keep them there and wait in the vortex for your signal. It'll only be, oh..." He scratches the back of his head, estimating, "Five minutes? Tops? And that's only assuming that you can't figure it out until 2050, and I know you lot can do better than that."

The two groups of humans sort of grinned; it's not often you get such high praise.

"Alright," Gwen says, "But how are we going to take down the hub inside? What are we going to do? Just camp here until the computer bomb is ready?"

"I think I have a solution that'll be faster than that," your dad says.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Tosh," he says with a smirk, "If I give you Ianto for help... How long should it take to make a computer virus?"


	17. Episode 17

She grins, seeing where he's going with this, "Give me half an hour. If I work with-" She shuffles through the papers and pulls out the blueprint for the inhibitor chip, "This, I should be done by then. Faster, if Ianto helps me."

Jack nods, saying, "Go. Tell me as soon as it's done, cause we're going to need it as an easily transferable file. Jacque..."

He turns to you, suddenly much more serious, "I never thought I would ask this of you. I promised I'd never put you in danger, but..."

You just nod, saying, "How am I getting in there?"

"You'll have to ask to be upgraded."

Everyone thought it was best not to tell Ianto. It's safer that way.

Although it means that you can't say goodbye. Even if you do plan on coming out alive...

So they got you a backpack, putting a couple guns and spare ammo inside, and a data stick and mobile, both equipped with the virus as the first and only files, and Tosh gave you the run-down of the most likely technologies you'll encounter.

By the time they've fixed you up a bit (thanks to The Doctor's wardrobe) and given you hide-able earplugs, you look like an average college student. Not the best disguise for heading to the basement, but Tosh reports that Ianto says you might not have to. You just hope they haven't figured out that they're surrounded yet.

"Be careful in there. If things start to turn south, just tell me through the coms and get out of there," your dad says.

The Brigadier nods, coming to stand behind him. "That's right. I already have some people working on an emergency computer bomb. If you can't get the code in before they try to upgrade you, don't worry. Just high-tail it out of there and we'll go to plan B."

"Good luck," The Doctor says simply.

With that done and very little plan in mind, you head inside.

It's going to be a hell of an experience, that's for sure.

You barely even walk into the building before running into a Cyberman.

"Stop. You are unprogrammed and not upgraded. You will follow or be declared incompatible."

It turns to leave and suddenly two more are on either side of you. Even if you wanted to leave, you couldn't.

So you follow.

The first thing you notice is it's cold. Very cold. And loud.

The sound of heavy machinery and a speaker system are heard even before you enter the second lift. And that's with the com and earplugs that you were given. How big is it, down there?

But by now you know why Jack and the team got out so easily - the Cybermen have one major weakness: they're /really/ slow.

After a slightly terrifying ride down, the doors open to reveal...

A room bigger than the hub. Bigger than ALL of the hub.

You are so fucked.


	18. Episode 18

There's still a line. You got lucky: from what you can see, the 'upgraders' or whatever are made out of spare parts. It makes sense, but your guess is that it's going to be a lot slower. Which would explain the line.

And that's odd enough, itself: Everyone seems to be in a trance. You have to wonder how they got this way...

Or you would, if you had time. Apparently you were just waiting for a higher level escort, because a new Cyberman stomps over before saying, "You are unprogrammed, you will follow to the Cyberleader. Follow."

Again, you don't have much choice. But now that you're closer, everything is loads worse. Apparently the trance doesn't keep them forever. The machinery was hiding it before, but, now that you're here, you can hear that the air is filled with screams.

It's a long walk at a slow pace, and by the end you realize that you're terrified.

And then you overhear something you shouldn't have.

Jack has been at a computer this whole time, monitoring you and talking you through it. Since Tosh was elsewhere, he didn't realize that he had to turn off more than just his own com.

"Captain Harkness, bad news," you hear The Brigadier say, "We've got some glitches with the computer bomb. To make one that size, it would fry the brains of every living thing down there."

"There has to be another way," your dad says.

"I'm sorry, Jack. There's nothing else we can do."

"Then what's plan B? These things are people, dammit!"

"Jack," you hear The Doctor say, "Sometimes you can't save everyone."

By the time you get that far into the conversation, you realize you missed something important. You're about to get upgraded. You only have a second to react before they guide you away from the main control.

"NO!" you shout, lunging forward, phone in hand, to try and install the virus before...

It's too late. You vaguely register something about being incompatible and deletion before you feel electricity burn through you.

Then everything goes dark.

When you next open your eyes, your head is pounding and the ground is spinning and you feel like you just thrown into a power line.

Oh. Right.

You sit up with a wince, the com and mobile both fried. You have no idea how long you were out, but... You were just shoved in a corner. Only a few people are left in the lines you saw.

You'll have to stop them... But there's only one way to do that, now.

You really will have to be upgraded.

But that means leaving Ianto. Because you don't know if you'll be able to come back.

Leave the love of your life and your dad, or everyone in the world dies.

The choice leaves you in tears.

The problem is you don't have much time. The internal struggle has a timer as the line of people dwindles. Every few minutes takes another life. And you just can't face that.

"Goodbye, love. Bye, dad," you whisper, pulling yourself together. "I love you."

Even though you know that they can't hear you, it helps you steel yourself.

Time to die.

Even you have no idea how you sneaked into line. Even more baffling is how you sat there, without earplugs, and listened to everyone's screams and the shriek of metal without breaking the blank expression on your face.

But you do know how you kept your goal.

You lost everything that you held dear in those few moments you gave yourself, allowing your mind to focus one one thing and one thing only: Destroy the inhibitors.

You didn't even feel the pain as you were given a metal body. Everything was already numb and cold. The emotional inhibitor didn't make a difference. A command is not an emotion.

Before they can stop you, you've got the flash drive out of your old body's pocket. Had you had emotions, that would have registered as surreal - and probably terrifying - but the chip blocks that and you've already wasted too much time.

You then hurtle through the crowd, pushing the heavy, uncoordinated piece of junk they gave you as fast as it can go, and manage to get the virus in just as they start chanting, "Delete, delete, de-"

You weren't quite prepared for the horror you feel once the chip breaks.

Something happens as the air is suddenly filled with new metallic screams, these of the 'upgraded' who realize what they've become.

And yours is amongst them.

Things become a blur as you end up in what would have been breaking down in tears, were you able to cry. Before you know how they got there, Jack, The Doctor, and Owen burst in and search for you, crying out your name. You try to cry out, "DAD" but the sound is unfamiliar.

He hears it anyway. And suddenly you wish he hadn't.

His face crumples.

"Jacque, I told you to leave-" he tries to say, but you cut him off.

"I heard you over the com," you hear yourself say in a choppy monotone, "The bomb would not have been ready and even if it had more would have died. I had no choice."

He doesn't seem to realize he's crying. And, if you still had your heart, it would break right then and there. Because your dad never cries.

Somehow, they get you out of there, leaving UNIT to get the rest cleaned up and corralled into some sort of mass-freeze while you head to the hub. As they start getting into the car, you make one request; "Don't let Ianto see me."

Your dad just nods, getting in back with you as you shut down, only barely noticing him telling tosh to get Ianto out of there before you pull up.

Then he holds your hand the entire way back.


	19. Episode 19

"LET ME SEE HER!"

You got back to the hub alright, Ianto somehow swept out of the way by Tosh, and had to have a talk with your dad.

Because there was only one way to get your body back.

And it might not work.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Owen says, even he's unable to hide his pain at what you've been through - and what you'll have to go through.

"There has to be another way," your dad says, pacing. He's not ready to let you go. What parent ever is?

"Dad," you say simply, still not used to your voice, "I have to die. How many times have you regenerated from nothing?"

He just glares at you, saying, "This is different. We don't know how many lives you have, if you'll live through this!"

"It's only different," you reply, "Because it's not you. I've got your genes. I've already died and come back once-"

"And once should be enough," Jack cuts you off, "You're my kid! I'm not supposed to outlive you!"

You just hang your head. He is right, there is an element of risk and you know it. But you can't stay like this and you both know it, which you tell him.

He just sighs and nods. You already opted out of going with the others - having a robotic body wouldn't be the same and you wouldn't be safe on earth if you had one - and now this is really all you can do. You seem to be dying a lot, lately.

"Alright," he finally concedes, his voice showing his age for the first time, so very weary, "Let's do this."

Ianto, meanwhile, was still in the base. Oops.

Tosh brought him down to the library, at first, but that just broke him into tears so they moved to a greenhouse they'd built.

By the time he pulled himself together, Tosh figured you were gone. So she let him use a computer.

The two heard the entire conversation.

And that's why, at the very end, when you were laying on the table and they had the headpiece mostly dismantled, Ianto came in with a shout of, "LET ME SEE HER!"

"I'm sorry!" you hear Tosh say, "I couldn't stop him!"

The cameras that serve as eyes, while no longer bolted on, are still connected. So you can see the pain on his face as your dad holds him back.

"Fuck, Ianto," you hear your new voice say, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry."

"I'm almost done and I can't stop now," you hear Owen whisper from behind you, "Say your goodbyes."

"Ianto, listen to me, before I go-" your world starts to fade, ice and pain starting to cloud the edges of your mind. You just barely manage to say before the vocal drive shuts down, "I love you."

And then you meet the dark again.

This is the first time dying hurts.


	20. Episode 20

((A/N: Now some smut and fluff and stuff to make all the angst better))

The next time you wake up, you feel numb. And stiff. And really, really disoriented. Then it all hit you.

Ianto.

Fuck.

You open your eyes to a dark room. You're on a mattress, but not a great one. Your guess is they stuck you in the furthest spare room they had and just waited. And hoped.

You can't believe it worked.

But you don't care. There's only one thought on your mind right now.

"IANTO! DAD! I'M ALIVE!"

You sit up with an, "Ow, fuck. Headrush..." And within moments, the door bangs open and someone's arms are around you. Judging by the feel, you're guessing Jack's.

"Thank the stars," he says, relief palpable, before pulling back and saying, "Don't you EVER do that to me again!" He runs a hand through his hair, pulling your attention to a few grey ones that have sprung up since you died. He paces for a couple minutes, face flicking through a few more emotions before sitting down next to you.

"Well, I don't want to have that happen again," you finally say, making him chuckle wearily.

"Nobody does." He sighs and finally turns a smile on you, looking almost exactly like he had before all this, just... More tired. "You did really well out there, hun. I'm proud of you."

You grin and hug him, even that not really dampening your joy. Not much could take that away. You're Alive.

Then you pull back as your bubble of happy is hit by a train. "How's Ianto?"

His smile slips slightly. "You should go see him."

There's only one stop you have to make first. Sort of a, "Dear god I am so sorry" present.

You don't give him any notice, which, in retrospect, probably could have been better thought through. Even if it was the right decision.

He opens the door to see you smiling sheepishly, nervous as you say, "Hey."

Even if you knew what to say, you wouldn't have been able to: His look of utter shock and amazement is only just registered before suddenly he's holding you tight. He's shaking as he clings to you, and you can't tell if it's relief or tears because everything is muffled. All you can do is hug him tight in return and try to rub his back to reassure your presence.

Neither of you know how long that lasts or how you moved inside, but soon you've moved on to kissing and just clinging to each other in the hallway. Soon, you're backing each other against walls and only breaking between kisses to whisper breathless 'I love you's and 'I'm here's.

By the time you realize you led him to the bedroom, you're both kissing quite a bit more frantically. Between you being just so happy he still loves you and him just being happy that you're /alive/, you don't have any doubts about how you're about to spend the rest of the day. And probably most of the night.

You let him guide you onto the bed, him following close so that he can pin you down and kiss you deeper, adding more heat to the touch and letting his hand not pinning your wrists wander. The kiss easily catches a moan as you arch up to his hand and you can't help but think this is /exactly/ how you would want to spend your first day back.

You gasp as he moves to nip and suck at your neck, instead, your hips rocking slightly at a particularly sharp one that you think will leave a mark. "Ah, Ianto, fuck, I missed you."

He moans something that sounds like 'I missed you, too,' as your hips accidentally end up grinding against his since he was much closer than you realized. Either way, things are escalating quickly and he lets go of your hands for a moment to work the buttons on your shirt. One moment is all you need.

You flip so that you're straddling him, new hands deft as they tug off his shirt to rake your nails over his chest. It's more than worth it as you feel and see him arch to your touch, moaning soft and low. Soon you have him pinned so that you can bite and nip down his chest, making his moans shange to include your name. You can't help but smirk against his skin as you both forget anything but right here, right now.

Then you rock your hips and the sound he makes goes straight to your sex drive, spurring you to do it again as you lean over him to bite gently along his neck. You have to let go of his hands to do so, but that's okay. Because now he;s clutching at you and it's fantastic.

"Oh, god, Jacque," he gasps, his hips bucking up to yours with every rock against him. "Fuck, please!"

This time you have no witty comeback. All you have to do is sit up, rock your hips one last time, and stay still long enough to get his attention before you unbutton your top.

Because unwrapping presents is half the fun.

You slowly reveal a black, strappy chemise with mesh between the thick crisscrosses, highlighting what figure you have and hiding any parts you'd rather not acknowledge. It's almost like something BDSM for the more vanilla crowds and it has his eyes glued to you. You chose well.

Apparently a little too well, since you two are flipped again as he bites at your throat, rocking his hips into yours and grinding against you as he guides your hands to the headboard. You can feel his hands tugging off the trousers you were wearing, as well as his own, before his fingers find all of your strongest turn ons, from the inside of your thighs to the more obvious spots on your chest, and he bites, sucks, and nips a trail from your throat to your ears, making you cry out from so many turn ons in at once and then again in quick succession.

"Geez, Ianto, a-ah, please!" you gasp, body reacting to his every touch, "Please, I- FUCK."

He did exactly as you asked, or tried to ask, somehow tugging off your thing and his briefs without you noticing because suddenly he's /there/ and starting a hard, fast pace the second he knows you're okay.

All you can do is hold on - to him, the sheets, the headboard - moaning as you rock your hips to meet his every thrust.

Before long, you're both at the edge, and he shifts your hips enough to hit deeper and OH, GOD AND GODDESS. Pleasure washes over you and you're pretty sure you're sobbing his name as you tense and cling to him, his hips bucking erratically as he comes with you and clutches you close.

When you can both eventually breathe and think again, you're in a tangled heap, both panting heavily as you just cling to each other. Then you're kissing again, though not as urgently as before. And this time, 'I missed you's and 'I'm sorry's are what you whisper in between.

Eventually, even those quiet. You're finally both content to just hold on to each other. Just being back is enough.

A couple hours of cuddling later, you nuzzle and kiss him softly - something you've been doing for a while, by then - and say, "I love you. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want you to see. I wanted to be better, or at least just growing back, bef-"

He silences you with a tender kiss, only pulling back to gently cup the side of your face and say simply, "I know. I'm sorry for rushing in, but I want to be with you. Even then, I needed to be with you. You shouldn't have to go through something like that at all, but if you do, at least let me be there to hold your hand."

You didn't realize you were crying until he started kissing the tears away, and you end up just holding on to each other for several more hours before you say, "I'm sorry I did that to you. I can't even imagine what that must have been like..." He just kisses you again, interrupting you.

So you decide to just show him without words.

You slowly turn the kiss up, letting some heat in before slowly kissing and nipping a trail down his neck. Eventually you start to wind your way over his chest and let your fingers catch at his sides, pulling soft sounds of want from him. You just smirk to see that it's working, one hand moving between his thighs to tease him as you slowly lick and kiss your way down his body. By the time you're at his navel, you've got him clutching at the sheets and moaning, each punctuated by soft gasps as he rocks up to your clever fingers.

This time, you know what he likes. So when you take him into your mouth, this time, it's really very easy to get him to cry out your name. Between your tongue and fingers and changing how much you take each time, he's quickly gasping out a warning of how close he is. This time, though, you don't move. A quick breath is all you need before letting him hit the back of your throat, swallowing to let him feel that before needing to as he climaxes. when he eventually stills, you pull away and wipe off the corners of your mouth before returning to his arms.

"I love you," he mumbles, and you can tell his head is spinning.

That just pulls a smile to your lips as you reply, "I love you, too," and kiss him on the cheek.

This goes back and forth for a bit before you both doze off in each other's arms.

That next morning, you wake up first.

You had guessed that you would - what, new body and all - but that was what you wanted. Because, this time, you're making /him/ breakfast. You are especially good at pancakes, since you make then from scratch. So he wakes up to that and tea fixed how he likes it almost exactly how you did when he made you breakfast: the only difference being he stirred as you opened the door to come in.

And, this time, you two actually get to eat it while the food is hot.

"'Lo, love," he says, an adorable smile on his face to match his rumpled hair.

You've never seen him this early: usually he's pulled himself together, at least mentally, by the time you're up. Right now, between the way he stretches and the slight cadence of his voice, he looks like an overgrown five year old. And it'c completely adorable.

"Hey, handsome," you say, grinning at the bit of a treat you're getting, "I made you breakfast~"

He chuckles and pulls himself into a sitting position before rubbing at his eyes. "You didn't have to do that-"

"I know," you answer, "But I wanted to."

You end up sharing the pancakes with him, hips and shoulders touching and the tray across half of each of your laps, and just cuddle for a bit when the plate's cleans.

"That was fantastic," he says with a smile, "Really, you're a brilliant cook."

You just grin and blush at his praise, shaking your head and saying, "You're better, but I'm glad you like it~"

And then you sort of lose track of time, just cuddling and getting wrapped up in each other, so you don't realize that it's several hours later when he suggests watching a movie. "And if we don't have anything here you like," he adds, "We can go to the library. Though it's probably covered in dust, by now."

That makes you look up, eyebrows drawn together slightly, "Why's that?"

He just looks at you, a bit confused, "You've been gone several months, love. Did nobody tell you?"

"There wasn't really time," you mumble, "I came out to see you first..."

That starts to get you thinking about the fact that for a month and a half the people you loved had to live with what you did and how you died.

"I'm sorry-" you start to say, but Ianto just shakes his head and kisses you.

"No apologies, love," he says softly, eyes warm and loving, "You did what you had to. You actually saved a lot of people. It was just hard, but you're back now. So I'm not hearing it."

You smile up at him and kiss him back when he pulls you into another one.

"So..." you ask softly, "Cleaning day in the library?"


	21. Finale: Episode 21

It takes a while for you two to motivate enough to get dressed, but you finally make it back to the hub.

"Ah, everyone's favorite couple," Owen says, "Didn't expect you to show up today. What are you doing here when you could be off galavanting and having make-up sex?"

You and Ianto share a smirk, remembering last night. "Just routine maintenance," Ianto replies, "If you need us, we'll be in the library."

"But don't need us," you add with a smirk as he drags you off.

"Oi! Remember the tie this time!" you hear from behind you.

When you get down there, the place is looks like it hadn't been touched. Then you remember it probably hasn't been: Ianto is the one who cleans, and with all that happened...

He doesn't give you time to linger on that, though. He goes to a hidden closet off to one side and gets you an old shirt to wear, "To at least keep part of your clothes clean."

Then you each take a can of all-natural cleanser - a special museum-quality formula that will be gentle on old books - and a cloth and start working on the shelves. It takes a couple of hours between you, but because you talk and laugh the whole time it doesn't feel that long. Before you know it, you're dusting off the electronics while he vacuums. When you finally finish, it looks just like the first time you saw it, all sparkling and new.

"Now for the fun part," he says with a smile, turning on the TV and handing you a controller as he puts in The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He then moves to sit down and opens his arms invitingly. You end up sitting on his lap, him holding you close, while you play. It's fantastic.

Again, time passes faster than you realize because soon there's a knock on the door. "One second," you call out, in the middle of a boss battle. Before you finish, though, whoever it is comes in and just watches, waiting for you.

Just as you take the killing blow, you hear your dad say, "The gang's ordering out for chinese. You two want anything?"

When you turn around, he's grinning at you. And he died the few grays he had.

He looks better than ever.

Everything's back to normal. Or as normal as it can get around here. You are in Torchwood, after all.

_((A/N: Ok, so I planned on putting authors notes through the cpaters as if I was writing them real time... But then I got frustrated with copying and pasting all this into word docs and realized OH LOOK A NEW COPY-N-PASTE FUNCTION and got distracted and... Yeah._

_So here you go._

_1) Imarriedmyfandoms is named Jacque. That is the Jacque that this is about. As the title said, their tumblr is the same name and, on there, they reblogged a thing that was going around saying "Write a fic with me and and a character of your choosing in my ask." So I did._

_This is what happened._

_2) because of their reactions, this has become an ongoing series._

_3) ALL OF MY THANKS GO OUT TO IMARRIEDMYFANDOMS FOR THEIR HELP. I would periodically shoot over a question about their likes and dislikes and what would they do in a choice of x vs y, etc etc... I would not have gotten their character as accurately (because it is really them in this story) without the help. _

_4) Also thanks to Imarriedmyfandoms for the fanart that is the art for the story~ They drew for me what their character would look like, so I added that._

_and_

_5) THANK YOU ALL. Seriously, if you made it this far, you deserve an award. Also, everyone who leaves comments and reviews and favorites my stuff are the ones who give me the strength and hope and inspiration to keep writing. Thank you all so, so much._

_and finally..._

_6) I know I sort of put my other stories on hold to write this. I hope you guys think that it was worth it, although I should be back to updating the rest of my series' soon. Keep commenting if you want a faster response, btw, since feedback is really what spurs me on. That's how this got done so quickly xD_

_Anyway, thanks for your time! Have a nice day and I hope you had fun~_

_Oh, one more thing..._

_STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SEASON/SERIES, COMING SOONER THAN SEASON 3 OF SHERLOCK!))_


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